


The Dragonfly

by NoxOdonata



Category: Original Work
Genre: Childhood Trauma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Forced Prostitution, Human Trafficking, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prostitution, Recovery, Slavery, Slow Build, emotional breakdown, more like forced labour, probably I'm not sure, well kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-05 05:55:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 15,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6692269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoxOdonata/pseuds/NoxOdonata
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Cara is delivered to Master Clayworth, she is determined not to disappoint. She is eager to be useful in her new Masters home, but everything is different from what she is used to and she keeps messing up. And then Master Ashton shows her the contract and her whole life seems to fall apart.</p><p>This will eventually have fluff and smut and possibly porn, but I won't promise anything! Also, this is my first story ever, so I'm just letting it take me wherever it goes. Just be patient with me, please.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Omg I'm so nervous about posting this! This is my first fic/story/whatever EVER and I'm super excited to get it out! Also, I'm super scared that it's complete crap, so please comment what you think! 
> 
> Also, unbeta'd and I'm not a native speaker so please forgive my mistakes T.T

She felt the carpet sting into the bare skin of her knees. It was nice and soft, but even the softest carpet started to get uncomfortable when you motionlessly knelt on it for too long. Not being able to see anything didn't help either. All she could do was concentrate on staying still, on the numbness of her back and legs and on what she could hear. Which wasn't much.   
There were voices, engaged in casual conversation, but she couldn't make out any actual words. There was the cracking of wood in a fireplace nearby, probably somewhere to her right. Sometimes she heard muffled, hurried footsteps, but they seemed far away. The wooden floor underneath the carpet she was kneeling on creaked almost inaudibly when she shifted ever so slightly.  
Time began to stretch and she lost all sense of how long she had been there already. An hour? Two? Half a day? She tried to relax without losing her posture and her mind began to wander. She did not want to think too much about what was coming and instead focused on what she knew, on the past. Certainties, facts. She did not know how old she was, but she knew she had been in the estate for 5 years. Before that, she had no sense of time in her memories. Only pictures, feelings, stories without a timeframe.   
She knew how to behave, how to follow orders without being punished. She knew how to cook, clean, move without making a sound. How to be invisible, a useful ghost. She knew how to address others, knew all the etiquette that was required. By whom or why it was "required" - she didn't know. It didn't really matter anyway. 

The voices drew nearer again and her heart began to race a little, she could feel it beating in her chest all too clearly. Loud footsteps, a doorhandle, wood cracking under pressure and then she wasn't alone anymore. 

"Well, we should definitely repeat this soon, I really enjoyed your travel stories!" an unfamiliar voice said.   
"Oh, please, I'm sure you have had quite the adventures yourself. With a world wide business like yours, I'm sure you get around a lot." That voice she knew. It belonged to Alex, her master.   
"Not as much as you would think and to be honest even if I do get to travel, I spend most of my time in conference rooms and on business dinners. Not nearly as much fun as it sounds, I can assure you that." Both men laughed at that.   
"So, is all the paperwork in order?" Alex asked, followed by a shuffling of papers and the sound of a folder being opened and closed.   
"I believe everything is in order, Alex! So, anything else to do or is this it then?" the other man asked.   
"I guess that's it!" Alex answered. "Let me just ...?" there was a question in his voice and it was answered promptly.   
"Of course, please, whatever you need."

She heard footsteps nearing her, the ruffling of fabric and then she faintly felt his breath on her face. "Are you with us, honey?" Alex asked her.  
She swallowed and a bit nervously, she answered: "Yes, Alex, sir."   
She heard him chuckle. "That's good. You're a clever girl, you know what's going on, right?" he didn't wait for her to answer. "You will be staying with Asthon here from now on. It's not a vacation, it's not for education, you live here. You work for him now, okay? Do you understand what that means?"  
"Yes." She had known this was coming, Claire had told her. "Yes, I understand. I live with Mister Ashton now."  
Alex petted her cheek, then gave her a brief kiss on the forehead. "That's good bye then, Cara. We'll see each other again, I'm sure, but it's a goodbye nonetheless."   
She could feel him withdrawing, getting up again and she was suddenly starting to feel very hot. "Good bye, Master Alex" she said way too formally and her own voice sounded strange to her.   
Alex and Mister Ashton moved to the door and although they were talking she couldn't really hear them over the sound of blood rushing through her ears and her heart beating way too fast and her skin feeling like it was on fire.   
"Good bye, Cara. Don't disappoint."   
And with those last words from him she heard the door close and then the men were saying their goodbyes and she heard another, heavier door falling shut and then... she felt panic rising, but just for a split second. Don't disappoint. No, she wouldn't disappoint. She knew what to do, knew how to behave, she knew the rules and what she didn't know she would learn quickly. Her heart calmed down a bit.   
She heard Ashton - would she be allowed to call him that? - approaching and waited for him to speak.   
He didn't though. She heard him walk past her, probably to his desk, because she heard papers being moved and a drawer opening and closing next. Then, there was silence for a few moments. She tried to ignore her rising tension and focused on keeping her mind blank and alert. He moved again, stopping left of her. Her heart raced. She hoped it didn't show.   
"Hello Cara."   
His voice was deep, but smooth. Like caramel, she thought.   
"Hello, Mister Ashton. Sir."   
Why was she so nervous? There was no need for that, no reason.   
"I am going to remove the blindfold, Cara." he said and then she felt his fingers on the back of her head, fumbling with the knot of the blindfold. "You should close your eyes, it will be very bright for you at first." His voice was calm and quiet.  
She felt the air touch her eyelids when he removed the cloth from her face. She waited for him to speak again, but he stayed silent next to her, so she slowly blinked her eyes open.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two! To be honest, I just started writing this yesterday and I just can't stop ... Is there such a thing a binge writing?

As he had said, it took her a moment to adjust to the light. When she could finally see again, she fought the urge to look through the room, to turn her head and look at him. She kept her head straight and her eyes fixed to a point on the wall on the opposite side of the room. He let out a short, quiet laugh. "He didn't exaggerate, you ARE extraordinarily well ... behaved." He paused before the last word and chose it very carefully, almost as if he was trying to avoid saying something else. "I am going to show you to your room now." He got up and waited for her to follow.  
She stood, slowly, feeling the blood rushing into her feet and legs. She felt the stinging sensation of a beginning numbness creep up her leg and swayed a little, hoping that he didn't notice, but wasn't so lucky.  
"Lost the feeling in your legs?" he inquired. But before she could answer, she involuntarily swayed a little more and he quickly caught her by the elbow. "Here," he said manoeuvring her into an armchair that stood next to the spot where she had knelt, "sit down for a moment."  
"Ah...I- thank you..." she mumbled, a bit perplexed and then quickly added, "Mister Ashton, sir." and cast her gaze back down to the floor. He chuckled. What is so funny? she wondered and then froze when he squatted down in front of her, reaching for her legs. He stopped just before his hand touched her calf and looked up to her. "May I?" he asked quietly and then added, "this will help."  
She didn't know what to do, what the correct answer, the correct behaviour would be. Don't disappoint, she heard Alex' voice echo in her head. Don't disappoint. She looked back at him, lost and bewildered. "Uhm... you don't..." she started but quickly stopped herself. Don't disappoint. "Yes, sir, of course."  
He didn't respond, instead he just touched her leg and began massaging it gently until he reached up to her knee. Then he repeated the process with her other leg until she had regained the feeling in both of them. He stood up and offered her his hand to help her out of the armchair. She took it, albeit hesistantly. When she was on her feet again, she let go of his hand immediately and unnecessarily straightened her shirt. He chuckled. Again, she thought, what's so funny about me? When he started walking towards the door, she followed him a few steps behind. 

They walked through the corridors of the house silently. Cara took the chance to carefully look around. It was an old house, a mansion probably, the lower half of the walls lined with dark wooden panels, the top half decorated with an old fashioned tapestry. Heavy carpets lined the corridors and every now and then there were little tables with Chinese vases, filled with fresh flowers. Cara felt like she had travelled back in time and half expected the lamps to be filled by candles. When she took a better look at one that they were passing, she saw that they were electric, though. Silly girl, of course they are, she told herself. They stopped in front of a door, which Ashton opened and gestured for her to enter.  
"Elizabeth, my chief of staff, will be with you shortly. She will help you get settled" he informed her.  
She nodded. "Thank you, sir."  
"Nothing to thank me for, Cara." he said. And with that, he turned and walked out, leaving her alone.  
She took a few steps into the room and tried to take it all in. It was big and she almost expected it to be a mistake. It looked more like a luxurious guest room to her, than a room for... well, for someone like her. But then again, she thought, it did fit in nicely with the old fashioned, nobility like style of the rest of the house. The room was bright, three huge windows letting in the daylight. On the left, between two of them, was a king size bed, complete with canopy and what looked like curtains. Who would need curtains on a bed? she thought. On the right side, facing the bed, there was a closet built into the wall, next to another door. She wondered where it led to, but didn't open it. On the far end of the room, underneath the third window, she found a wooden desk with a pen and stack of paper neatly layed out on top of it. She took a step towards one of the windows, which had a cushioned window sill, to be used as a bench. She was about to take a look outside and had just caught a glimpse of a huge, meticulously groomed garden, when someone entered without knocking.  
"You must be Cara, I'm Elizabeth" the woman said. She was in her mid-thirties, had a black curly mane and looked like she enjoyed chocolate pudding a bit too much for her own good. "Master Ashton said you just arrived and that I should show you around, bring you up to speed how things work around here."  
"Yes, thank you ma'am" Cara said.  
"Oh, no need to be so formal, girl! You can call me Lisbeth, everyone does. So, let's get started!" Lisbeth started chatting away happily, showing and telling Cara everything there was to know in Master Ashton's household. Cara found out where the door left of her closet led to - a bathroom, complete with a bathtub and extra shower. She also learned where she was and wasn't allowed to go in the house, that there were five other people on the household staff including Lisbeth herself, what the other woman liked and disliked about her colleagues, which books she liked to read and about a thousand other things that Cara would most likely not be able to remember. After about an hour, they ended Lisbeths little tour in the staff kitchen, where the cook, a robust elderly woman named Maria, made them tea and they all sat down at a small table in the corner together. Cara felt a bit overwhelmed by Lisbeth's cheery, extrovertive nature and was thankful for the tea. It helped calm her nerves a little.

"So, Cara, how did you end up in Master Ashtons household?" Lisbeth asked, taking a sip of her tea. Cara looked at her, a bit unsure of how to answer.  
"I, uhm... Master Alex brought me here" she answered vaguely. Lisbeth frowned at that and shot a look over to Maria, who shrugged. "What do you mean, he brought you?" she asked, clearly confused. "Do you know him?"  
Cara nodded. "Yes, of course I do! I was with him and Lady Claire for five years, until today…" and when that answer didn't seem to satisfy Lisbeth, she added: "Master Alex and Lady Claire took me in when...well, they gave me a home and they taught me everything I know, or Master Alex did, really. I don't know where I would be without them" she finished.  
Lisbeth shot Maria another look and then patted Cara's arm. "How old are you, girl?" Maria asked, give her an encouraging smile. Cara blushed. "I..I'm not sure exactly. About twenty, I think." Not knowing how old she was exactly always made her feel ashamed of her herself, although she didn't really know why. "And you've been with... Master Alex... for five years, you say?" Maria inquired further. "Yes, that's right."  
Maria and Lisbeth exchanged another look, but didn't ask her anymore questions, so Cara asked about her duties in the house and any rules she should be aware of. Much to her surprise, they hadn't even known she was coming until the day before and Master Ashton hadn't specified any tasks for her. They agreed that it was best she followed Lisbeth around for a bit, helping out where she could and getting to know the daily routines of the household. When Maria announced that she had to start preparing dinner, Lisbeth and Cara headed back to her room.  
"Your things should be in the closet by now, so just get settled and try to get some sleep. I'll wake you up at six tomorrow morning, to start the fun!" she waved cheerfuly and before Cara could tell her, that she didn't have any "things", the other woman had already left and closed the door behind her.

Cara sighed. This was better than what she had expected, but it troubled her that she hadn't been given any specific tasks. Hadn't Master Ashton - she tried to remind herself to call him that - expected her? Why had she been sent here to work, if he didn't give her anything to do? She shook her head. No use in going over this, she would surely find something to do tomorrow. Maybe she could help Maria in the kitchen. The woman looked to be at least 60 years old and didn't have any help and Clara had worked in the kitchen for quite some time when she had first arrived at Master Alex' estate. She made a mental note to talk to Lisbeth about it the next day. Looking out the window she noticed the sun was already hanging low over the horizon and decided to take a shower and then head to bed early.   
Stepping into the bathroom she looked for a towel but didn't find one, there was also no soap or shower gel to be found and looking over to the sink she noticed that there was no toothbrush, either. She remembered what Lisbeth had said about "her things" and thought that maybe that was what the other woman had meant. She went back into the bedroom, opened the closet to look for some toiletries and … froze, startled by what she found.  
There were numerous dresses, blouses, skirts, t-shirts and jeans, shorts, jackets, a blazer… She saw several pairs of shoes on the bottom, most of them high heels, but also flats and sandals, even a pair of sneakers. She detected fluffy looking slippers and a matching bathrobe as well. Completely perplexed and taken by surprise all she could do for a moment, was stare. She blinked, closed her eyes for a few seconds, opened them again and - the clothes were still there, she had not hallucinated. She noticed several drawers on the left and very carefully, as if she would set things on fire with sudden movements, opened the top drawer. Inside were nothing but bra's. She closed the drawer and opened the next one. It was full of panties, most of them lace. She quickly closed that one, too. In the next one she found socks and nylons. She closed that drawer too and went back into the bathroom. There was a small cabinet under the sink that she hadn't noticed before and when she opened it, she found that it was full of towels. She took one out, careful not touch any of the others. Above the sink she discovered that the mirror was, in fact, a mirrored cabinet, inside which she finally found a toothbrush, some shampoo and also make up, which she ignored. Relieved, if a bit bewildered still, she undressed and stepped into the shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about adding additional tags, but I just can't think of anything T.T do you guys have any ideas?


	3. Chapter 3

Ashton was looking through a progress report about his latest project in Asia, when Luke walked in.   
"When will you learn to knock?" he sighed. "When you start doing interesting things in here." Luke answered with an evil grin. "It's an office" Ashton said, "it's not designed for interesting activities." Luke just shrugged and threw himself into one of the armchairs near the fireplace. "So, you decide yet?" he asked and Ashton immediately knew what he was talking about. He put down the report and stretched out his legs under the table. He had kept Luke in the dark about his decision, because he knew his friend would have tried to talk him out of it. Again. And he couldn't even hold it against the other man, half the points his friend had made Ashton agreed to himself. But still, it was his decision to make so in the end he had made it against the advice of his trusted friend. He sighed. "Yep, I did."   
Luke looked at him and when he didn't say anything else raised an eyebrow. "So? You done the right thing?"   
Ashton looked out the window and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I should have listened to you, but I just- " Luke interrupted him. "What do you mean, listened to me? Don't tell me you- what did you do, Ash?!" he sounded angry and he had every right to be, Ashton thought. "I just couldn't walk away, Luke. You gotta understand, she has no one, no protection. What if something happened to her just because I was a coward?"   
"A coward?" his friend said in disbelief, "cowardice has nothing to do with this Ash! This is about protection, yeah, about protecting your own ass from a fucking disaster!" He ran his hands through his hair and looked at Ashton. "Do you know what will happen if this gets out? To all of us? This is not something that will go away, you can't pay your way out of this! I can't believe you're doing this, I thought you were smart. But apparently you're even dumber than that stupid idiot Alexander!" he nearly shouted the last part, he was furious. Ashton sighed again. He had expected his friend to react like this. It was, after all, why he hadn't told him earlier.   
"I know, Luke." He he said calmly. "Oh, do you now? Didn't look like it a minute ago." Luke said, still angry.  
"Yes," Ashton responded sharply, "I do. But I also have a conscience and I cannot simply walk away from something like this, Luke. It's done anyways. I wired the money last night."  
"So cancel the transfer, call the bastard and tell him the deal's off!" Luke got out of his chair, walked over to the desk and slammed his hands down. "It's not too late, Ash! Call the bastard, right now! I'm not leaving until you do!!" Ashton looked at his friend and after a moment, he opened the top drawer under his desk and took out a folder. He threw it over to the other man, who gave him a questioning look before opening the thin document. He skipped over the first page and looked up to say something, but Ashton beat him to it.  
"She's already here" he said quietly.

Cara stepped out of the shower and dried herself, then used the towel to wrap up her wet hair in it. She hesitated at the bathroom door, aware of her nakedness, but she didn't want to use another one of the towels, so she just stepped into the bedroom naked. She thought about looking for pyjamas in the closet but quickly decided against it. It's probably a mistake anyways, she thought. An old mansion like this is sure to have more than just one guest room and they accidentally put me into the wrong one. Although, Ashton -Master Ashton, she corrected her own thoughts -had walked her to this room personally, so it had to be the right one... She pushed that thought aside and just climbed into bed.   
Cara was just beginning to doze off under all the fluffy blankets of the bed, when she heard a soft knocking on the door. She froze in horror. She was in bed, naked! And her clothes were on the other side of the room, neatly folded on top of the chair! Another knock on the door and then she heard Lisbeth calling out for her. "Cara, sweetie? Are you there?" Cara panicked, completely at loss how to deal with the situation. Before she could decide what to do though, the door was opened an inch and Lisbeth peeked inside. She spotted Cara in the bed, clutching the covers to her chest and came in, closing the door behind her. "Did I wake you?" she asked, not waiting for Cara to answer. "I'm afraid you need to get up again. Something… came up and Master Ashton requested your presence at dinner." Cara blinked. A task? She almost jumped out of bed to get dressed but stopped herself at the last moment, remembering that she was naked. "I'll get ready immediately" she said instead.  
"Best you hurry up, he hates waiting." Lisbeth told her. "Just get dressed quickly and come down, okay?" The girl nodded and Lisbeth left the room. Cara almost ran to her clothes. She put up her still damp hair in a clean bun at the back of her head, checked herself again in the bathroom mirror and hurried downstairs to the kitchen. 

"What are you doing here?" Lisbeth asked, frowning when Cara entered the kitchen. She opened her mouth to explain that she didn't know where the dining room was, but Lisbeth cut her off. "And why on earth are you still wearing THAT?!"   
Cara looked down on herself, then back at Lisbeth. "But...These are my clothes..." she said confused. Lisbeth walked over to her and turned her towards the door. "Oh, you silly girl..." she mumbled while she pushed Cara out of the kitchen and back towards the stairs. "I don't have anything else to wear," she tried to explain.  
"I told you, your things are in the closet!" Lisbeth panted, finally pushing Cara back into her room. She walked over to the closet, rummaged through the clothes for a moment and produced a simple but elegant black dress. Holding it out to the other girl, she said "This should be fine…" and when Cara didn't move, "well, come on, I already told you he doesn't like to wait!" Cara shook her head. "These aren't mine, there must have been a mix up or..." she didn't know what else to say and Lisbeth didn't seem to understand so she just repeated, "these aren't my clothes. I really only have the ones I wear." Lisbeth closed her eyes for a moment, trying to find the right words.   
"Cara, sweety, I'd really like to explain this better but right now we don't have the time. Just trust me when I tell you that these are your things and please, please just hurry getting into this?" she said pleadingly and pointed to the bathroom.   
Cara wanted to say something, explain that this couldn't be right, that she didn't own any of these clothes, but when she saw the pleading look in the other woman's eyes she just nodded. She didn't want to get her into trouble, didn't want to disappoint. So she just grabbed the dress and went into the bathroom to change. It was a really pretty, yet simple dress. Strapless and with a heart-shaped neckline, it was tight fitting, but still comfortable and finished just above the knee. At the waist it was adorned with a small bow, as black as the rest of the dress. She looked at herself in the mirror once more and almost didn't recognize herself. How much a simple dress could change someone... No, she wasn't changed. She just looked... nicer. Hearing Lisbeth call for her, she stepped out of the bathroom.   
"There, much better, don't you think?" the other woman said, waving a pair of black high heels at her. Cara frowned. "I, uhm... I've never worn any high heels before." she confessed, looking at her bare toes.   
"Oh? You haven't? I thought... well, nevermind." The other woman sounded surprised, but didn't comment on it further. Instead she rummaged through the closet again and produced a pair of simple, black flats. "Here, these should be fine then." Cara slipped into them and hurried after Lisbeth, who had already started to walk out the door. They walked down the stairs and past the kitchen, down an unfamiliar corridor. Lisbeth stepped in front of a pair of heavy wooden double doors and knocked. Someone answered on the inside and Lisbeth stepped aside, gesturing for Cara to enter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a mess, I edited this about a thousand times and I'm still not sure it makes sense.

Ashton poured himself another whiskey and turned to face his friend. "Jesus, you look like you're about to kill someone. Relax a little, will you, Luke?" He sat down next to Luke by the fireplace. It was a pain in the ass to keep them clean and running, as his chief of staff never grew tired to tell him, but he just preferred the real deal over those stupid fake fires everyone seemed to be getting these days. It just wasn't the same. He liked the warmth of a real fire, the sound of the wood cracking in the flames and the faint smell of smoke that came through the vents. He did agree to have protective glass installed, after Luke and Elisabeth had been going on and on about the supposedly terrible fire hazard.  
"Hey, you listening to me at all man?" Luke asked.  
"Yes, I just don't have an answer for you." Ashton said. Luke hadn't shut up about the girl all day, about telling her what was going on, but Ashton wasn't having it. What was he supposed to tell her, anyways? No, she was here now, she was save and that was all she needed to know. He heard a knock on the door and turned around. Luke looked even more tense than before, if that was possible and he shot him a warning look. "Lose that face, man. It's not like she's gonna try to kill you or something." His friend glared at him, but his face changed to a marginally friendlier expression. "Yes, come in please," Ashton said and the door opened.  
When the girl walked in, eyes cast down, nervously smoothing her dress while she approached them, he almost felt sorry for her. It wasn't her fault that she was in this position. She glanced at them, stopped near where they were sitting and folded her hands in front of her. When she didn't say anything, Ashton spoke instead. "Good evening, Cara. I hope Elisabeth showed you around? And I see your clothes have arrived, that's good. If you're missing anything or need something, just tell me or Elisabeth. We'll get it for you in no time." He winked at her, which seemed to make her even more nervous. He gestured towards Luke. "This here, is my friend and Chief of Security, Luke. I'm sure Elisabeth mentioned him, he's one of the permanent residents of this house." Luke made a face at him for the formal introduction and simply said, "Hi." Cara smiled nervously. "Good evening, Master Ashton." she made a small curtsey and turned to the other man. "Master Luke." With that, she took a small step back, turned and walked towards the door.  
Luke sighed, giving Ashton a look that said I told you she was trouble and silently shook his head. Ashton quickly stood. "Cara?" he called her. She froze mid step and turned around. "Yes, Master Ashton?"  
"Where are you going? Didn't Elisabeth tell you that we're having dinner together?" he asked. "Yes, of course she did" Cara answered, hastily adding, "Master Ashton."  
"So?" he inquired. "Why are you leaving?" And before she could answer that, he gestured towards the fireplace. "Come, sit with us."  
Where did she want to go? Ashton asked himself. He looked at the girl, who was clearly uncomfortable. He strode over to her and offered his hand. She looked at him wide-eyed and afraid. "I can't... I don't..." She bit her lip. "I was going to the kitchen, to serve the dinner, Master Ashton." She finally said quietly. Luke rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Ash, I told you this was stupid. I mean, just look at her!" Ashton turned around to his friend. "Shut. Up." He said through his teeth. "It's hardly her fault, is it?" When he turned back to Cara, she looked terrified. He gestured to the fireplace again. "Come, Cara, sit with us. Just ignore Luke, he's an idiot who clearly needs to start thinking before he opens his mouth." He shot his friend a warning look and the other man mumbled something into his glass before downing the rest of the whiskey.  
Of course there was something wrong about the whole situation, but shoving it in her face wouldn't help, that much Ashton was sure of. She finally took his hand and he lead her to the chair he had previously occupied, leaning himself against the wall next to it. He wondered if he should offer her a drink, but before he could decide upon it, she nervously addressed him.  
"Master Ashton, sir?" she asked quietly, glancing up at him.  
"Yes, Cara, dear, what is it?" He gave her an encouraging smile. "There's... uhm... in my room..." She began, looking for words. "There has been a... misunderstanding, sir."  
He raised an eyebrow. "A misunderstanding? About what?"  
"About... About the things, sir. The clothes and... everything. They aren't mine. I tried to tell Lisb- Miss Elisabeth, but she didn't understand." She wrung her hands, agitated. "I didn't touch any of it, just this dress and the shoes, because Miss Elisabeth insisted!" She added quickly, blushing. Ashton stared at her.  
Luke made a sour expression. "You bought her stuff? Oh man, this is worse than I thought! She doesn't even want it, man, can't you see?" He snorted. "Just call Alexander and tell him to take her back. She obviously doesn't want to be saved or whatever you think you are doing. She wants to... well, whatever it is she did with that bastard. She doesn't need your help, man."  
Ashton was next to his friend in an instant. He placed his hands on the other man's shoulders and brought his mouth down to Luke's ear. "What. The fuck. Is wrong with you." He said so low, that only Luke could hear it. "She's terrified and probably confused as shit. So you either get your shit together or leave. Right now." He let go of him and took a deep breath. He might have overreacted, but Luke needed to shut up. The girl was already frightened enough as it was and this wasn't helping. Luke just sat there for a second, then he wordlessly walked out, shaking his head and slamming the door shut when he left.  
Ashton took another deep breath to calm himself down, then he turned around to face Cara. "So sorry about that. He didn't mean what he said, I'm sure. He's just-" he stopped. The girl wasn't sitting in the chair anymore. Instead, she had slipped to the ground, kneeling with her head bowed, hands resting on her thighs. She was trembling. Ashton ran a hand over his face and closed his eyes for a second. "Fuck" he muttered.  
He crouched down on one knee in front of her and silently cursed himself when he saw that she was crying. "Hey..." he said carefully, "it's okay. This isn't your fault. He didn't- well, he probably did, but that's not- what I'm trying to say is- "  
What the fuck was he doing, mumbling incoherent bullshit? "Look, Cara, this is... uh... " He was lost for words again and he felt like an idiot. Maybe Luke was right and this was the worst idea he'd ever had. He shook his head. No turning back now.  
"Cara, dear, can you look at me?….Please?" he added when she didn't react. "Can you tell me what's wrong? Did he frighten you? He's gone now."  
"I...I'm sorry, Master Ashton, s-sir. He... I... I misunderstood, I am so sorry!" She tried not to sob in between her words, but failed miserably and Ashton felt even worse than before. "I'm not... p-please don't think I'm ungrateful, sir. Of course you would n-need me t-to be presentable for your guests, Master Ashton, how stupid of me not to think of that. I'm so sorry, I didn't think, I should have known b-better…" The words kept falling out of her like her tears, quiet and pleading. Ashton didn't know what to do, so he did the only thing he could think of. He hugged her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is really short, I'm sorry!

She was so stupid. So, so stupid. Of course the clothes were for her. If she was supposed to help and possibly entertain guests, she would have to be presentable. Of course. How did she not think of that. No wonder Master Luke had thought her ungrateful. But she was so confused, everything was so different here and...No, that was no excuse. Maybe she could still make it right? She slipped on the floor and waited for her new Master to turn around. He seemed lost for words when he talked to her, so she pushed the apology out quickly and then - he hugged her. Put his arms around her and tightly held her to his chest.  
"M- Master Ashton...?"  
She didn't know how to react, what to do. And he just held her, stroking her back, telling her to relax, that it was okay. She didn't know what else to do, so she took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself down again. He smelled faintly of sweat and aftershave, she noticed… and something else, wood perhaps or fresh earth. She caught herself closing her eyes and just inhaling his scent. What was she doing?! She tried to get out of his embrace and when he let go of her quickly.  
"Master Ashton?" she asked again, still unsure what to do. "You don't have to call me that, you know?" He said, absentmindedly staring into the fire. "You can just call me Ashton, if you want."  
"Of course, Ma- ...Ashton. Whatever you wish, sir." That was odd. But she would respect his wishes, of course.  
He chuckled. That again, she thought. What was so funny this time? "Anything else, Mas- I mean... Ashton, sir? Should I start serving dinner now?"  
He turned his head to look at her. "What do you think why you're here, Cara?" he asked quietly. She frowned. Why she was here? "To work and be helpful wherever I can, sir." She answered quickly, without thinking, but he shook his head. "No, I mean... What do you think why Alexander sol- gave you to me?" She thought about that for a moment. "Because he thought that I might be of help to you...?" she offered. She hadn't really thought about a reason, about why Master Alex had decided it was time for her leave. It shouldn't matter to her anyway, he would have his reasons and it wasn't her place to question them.  
"Yes, yes of course..." Ashton responded, but his thoughts seemed to be somewhere else. "Should…should I leave you alone, sir?" Cara asked tentatively. He looked at her as if suddenly seeing her for the first time. "No, it's alright. Let me bring you to your room. You must be tired." And with that he stood, helping her up afterwards. They walked to her room in silence and when they arrived, he seemed to be deep in his thoughts again.  
When she finally climbed into bed for the second time that evening, she was very tired. She didn't know what to make of everything that had happened and she still couldn't get over the fact that she had messed up so badly. And Master Ashton had smelled so nice… But before she could scold herself for that thought, sleep took her over and she drifted into a dreamless night.

Cara awoke from something warm tickling her face. When she opened her eyes, she realized with a shock that it was the sunlight, shining into her room. She sat up with a jolt and when a quick look at the clock on her nightstand told her that it was well past eight, she nearly jumped. She was late! How did that happen? Why hadn't Lisbeth woken her up at six, like she had promised? She quickly brushed her hair and then just stood in front of the closet for a moment, undecided. What should she wear? She eyed her old clothes, but quickly shook her head. She wouldn't make that mistake again. She spotted a white blouse and after a moment of searching through the skirts and dresses found a simple blue skirt. It had a deep, rich shade of blue and was made from a thick, soft fabric. She slipped into the black flats from the night before and hurried out of her room


	6. Chapter 6

Cara nearly ran along the corridors towards the kitchen, not knowing where else to go. Before she could come up with an apology for oversleeping so horrendously, she turned a corner and bumped into something. Or someone, rather, she realized in shock when she looked up and saw Master Ashton's brown eyes looking down at her in surprise.  
"Cara? What are you running from?" He looked behind her, as if he was actually expecting someone to chase after her.  
"I... good morning, Master Ashton" she panted, "I was just on my way to the kitchen." She looked down at her feet, embarrassed. Did he already know about her being late? She felt panic rise in her chest.  
"Didn't I tell you to call me Ashton?" he said, amusement in his voice. "Well, old habits die hard, I guess." Cara bit her lip. How could she forget that? Another mistake. She seemed to mess up constantly ever since she had arrived here. She had sworn to herself not to disappoint, but somehow she could do nothing but! Well, there was no way around it, he would hear about her latest mistake soon enough anyway. If he didn't know already, she thought. Better to get it over with now. Taking a step back, she bowed her head and tried to keep her voice steady.  
"I am very sorry... Ashton. There is no excuse for my undisciplined and sloppy behaviour. I am sorry, please forgive me, sir." She held her breath and waited for his reaction. Ashton looked down at the girl, startled. What was she apologizing for? Undisciplined and sloppy behaviour? He had absolutely no idea what she was referring to, much less how to react. He was beginning to think that he was in over his head with this girl, when just this morning he had told Luke that he knew exactly what he was doing. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Cara? It's okay. I'm not mad at you, there's nothing to apologize for, really." He waited for her reaction, but when she didn't move or speak, he put two fingers under her chin and tilted her head up to make her look at him. She complied, moving her head but still casting her eyes down. "Cara, look at me." He tried to keep his voice soft and calm. When she finally looked at him, her eyes were wide and full of insecurity. She's beautiful, he thought. Her eyes had the colour of a stormy autumn day at the sea, grey and blue with just a hint of green. Her skin was flawless, a blush creeping up her cheeks. Her dark brown hair was tied in a simple braid, falling over her shoulder from her neck, ending just above her breasts. She was growing agitated, wringing her hands and blushing more by the second. What was he doing, staring her down like that?! He scolded himself silently. Taking a deep breath, he tried to keep his tone light and casual. "Did you have breakfast yet? I was just about have some toast, would you like to join me?" He studied her reaction and was relieved when she seemed to relax a little. "Yes, Ma- Ashton, sir. Of course." She smiled at him, it looked rehearsed, but he didn't mention it. They started walking to his office, the girl always a few steps behind him, not making a sound. "You can call me Master Ashton if it is easier for you, you know? You don't have to, though. I don't really care" he told her when they arrived at his office. Seating himself in one of the armchairs near the cold fireplace, he gestured for her to take the chair opposite of his. She lingered in the doorframe for a second before sitting down on the very edge of the chair. She started to straighten out her skirt, but stopped abruptly and folded her hands in her lap instead, staring down at them. He shook his head in a quiet laugh. "You can relax, Cara. I'm not going to rip your head off." She took a deep breath and at least some of the tension seemed to leave her body.  
There was a knock on the door and Lisbeth came in with a tray of food. When Cara saw the other woman, what ever tension she had managed to lose a moment ago came back tenfold. Lisbeth, however, was completely unaware of the girls uneasiness. She sat down the tray on the small coffee table between the armchairs and smiled at Cara. "Enjoy your breakfast, Master Ashton...Cara..."  
"Thank you, Elisabeth, that will be all" Ashton said, dismissing her. Lisbeth nodded, winking at Cara before she left. Ashton studied the girl before him for a moment. She was clutching her skirt tightly, her knuckles white with strain.  
"Care to tell me what that's all about?" he asked while pouring them both a cup of coffee. Cara opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again after a moment, staying silent. When he offered her the coffee, she finally spoke.  
"I should be the one serving you that" she said, her voice almost a whisper. She didn't take the cup he had offered, so he set it down again. "I can pour my own coffee, you know?" he said jokingly. She didn't seem to find the situation funny and he sighed. "You're not here to be my personal servant girl. That's not why - " he almost said _why I bought you ___but stopped himself before the words could leave his mouth. "That's not why you're here" he simply said instead. She looked genuinely surprised. "It's not?" she furrowed her brows. "But then why am I here, Master Ashton?"  
Shit, he thought. He could either tell her right now or keep the truth from her as long as possible. But he had to tell her one day, unless he planned to keep her occupied with housework for the rest of her life, which hardly seemed fair and had never been his plan in the first place. Then again, he didn't have a plan at all. But the question remained: why was she here, exactly? He didn't have an answer to that question, so what was he supposed to tell her?  
She looked at him expectantly, patiently waiting for his answer and she seemed so small, so fragile in that moment... He just didn't have it in him to lie to her any longer. He cleared his throat.  
"Do you remember what I asked you last night, Cara? About why you are no longer with Alexander?" She nodded.  
"And you think it's because ... you're supposed to work for me, in the house, right?" She nodded again. "Well, that's not exactly what's going on. Alexander didn't..." He was looking for the right words. "You're not here because you work for me. He sold you to me, Cara."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cara gets to read the contract.

She didn't understand. She was here to work for Master Ashton. "Yes, Master Ashton, of course." she said nonetheless, because that's what she had learned to say when she didn't understand something right away. But that didn't seem to be the right answer, because Master Ashton started to shake his head.  
"No, no you don't understand, Cara" he said slowly, almost desperately. He stood up and walked over to his desk, taking out a folder from one of the drawers. He handed it to her. "Open it" he said, his voice void of any emotion. She opened it. It was some sort of contract between a man named Alexander Dimitrov - that had to be Master Alex, she thought - and Ashton Clayworth. Master Ashton. She looked up at him again, but he just gestured for her to read on. Turning the page, she recognized her own name. 

> ...payment to be made by Mr. Clayworth as a total sum of 10.000.000 $ (ten million), payable to Mr. Dimitrov prior to the date of delivery. Date of delivery hereby set as: 1st of October.  
>  On the set date, Mr. Dimitrov will deliver the goods to Mr. Clayworth in untouched condition, without any exterior modification or damage that would in any form restrict, hinder or severely limit the function of the goods.  
>  The goods are hereby set as: Cara, female. 

Ten million dollars. He had paid ten million dollars… for her. No, not for her. For his goods. She felt a lump in her throat. 

> With confirmation of payment and delivery of the goods, Mr. Dimitrov transfers all rights and titles of ownership, usage and maintenance of the goods to Mr. Clayworth. These rights include, though not exclusively: use of the goods for physical labour, sexual intercourse and physical violence.

She couldn't read on. The lump in her throat had travelled to her chest, turning into a full-blown panic. With trembling hands, she closed the folder. 

 

Ashton didn't take his eyes from her while she read in silence. He hadn't planned on showing her this, but he just didn't know how else to explain to her what was going on. She had been kept in the dark almost her entire life and he didn't understand why, but he just couldn't find the right words to tell her.  
Although illegal of course, a modern form of slavery still existed behind closed doors. Most people ended up working without payment until a debt was settled or until they were too old to be of any use, at which point they were simply thrown out to the streets and left to die, if they weren't killed outright. More often than not, the cook, the maid or the servant you saw in rich households not unlike like his own, weren't normal employees but instead working without payment, without any rights or property, no chance to escape. Modern slaves.  
Caras parents had been in such a position after her father hadn't been able to pay a gambling debt. He had been killed and his wife and daughter were taken as payment. That's how, at the age of 8, Cara had learned that if she wanted to stay with her mother, she had to work and do as she was told. She was a clever girl and learned quickly, adapting to the new circumstances without any major problems. When her mother had died five years ago, she had been brought to Alexander Dimitrov. He ran a dating agency, which was really just a front for his human trafficking business. His wife Claire also used the agency to recruit new women for the several brothels she ran across the country. Alexander was known to take in "lost children" such as Cara and had developed a soft spot for the girl, letting her work as some twisted version of a personal maid for him. His wife had always been pressing him to let Cara work in one of her establishments, but he had convinced her that it would be too risky while Cara was still underage. Now that her 21st birthday was fast approaching, he had run out of arguments.  
Ashton thought back to Alexander's visit a few months ago, when he had first offered the girl to Ashton. Why he had been under the impression that Ashton would be interested, he didn't know. Alexander was under the impression that selling the girl would be some kind of a good deed, saving her from a future in one of his wife's brothels. Ashton had finally decided to take the girl, why... He still wasn't sure why. To save her, he had told Luke and himself. And although there was no doubt in his mind that Alexander would have sold her to some old pervert in an instant, had Ashton refused the offer, he still knew that he wasn't the girls saviour, either. No one could save her, really. She had no documentation, no passport, no birth certificate. Hell, she didn't even have a last name! She had no education, nowhere to go. Alexander had hired a private tutor for the first year she had stayed with him, but lost interest in it after that, instead focusing on ... yeah, on what exactly? He had trained her to be silent, obedient, polite. She was almost submissive, he had praised, and Ashton had wondered how long it would have taken for the other man to lay hands on Cara, had he not sold her.  
He realized that she had closed the folder and was trying to keep her trembling hands under control. He instinctively reached out to comfort her, but stopped himself mid-gesture and instead sat back down in his chair and waited for her to speak. She stayed silent. After a few minutes he cleared his throat and she looked at him. Her face was blank, tears pooling at corner of her eyes. "Yes, Master Ashton?" she asked. Her voice was barely audible and her gaze fixed somewhere above his left shoulder. _This can't be good_ , Ashton thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I proofread everything I wrote so far and rewrote a few parts, saving everything on my laptop. I also wrote chapter 8 already and was planning to post it tomorrow. But.  
> For some stupid, unexplained reason, my laptop decided that saving things was more of an optional activity... the whole eighth chapter is GONE *sobs quietly* Apparently, something is wrong with my hard drive, which is why I won't be able to use my laptop anymore until I get a new hard drive. And I have to write chapter 8 again, from memory.  
> I'll try to get it ready as soon as possible, but I don't know who quick I can work on my phone...
> 
> Also, three kudos?! Wow! I wasn't even expecting anyone to read this...I know three sounds like nothing much, but to me it means the world! Thank you guys so much!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had to rewrite this from memory after the first version was lost to my stupid broken laptop!   
> I'm not exactly sure if Cara's thoughts make any sense, so please feel free to tell me in the comments if you think it's too confusing!

Cara couldn't get the words out of her head. _These rights include, though not exclusively: use of the goods for physical labour, sexual intercourse and physical violence_. She swalloed. What did that even mean? Well, she knew what it meant, but she didn't _want_ to know. In fact, she wished she had never read that stupid contract or whatever it was. _Sexual Intercourse_. Why had Master Ashton shown her that? _You know why_ , she thought, _to inform you of your duties_. She wanted to cry, to run away, to lash out at...something. But it was no use. Her tears wouldn't change anything, they never had and where would she run to? Cara knew that she was different from... other people, normal people. People who didn't get bought and sold for... for... She dug her nails into her palm. She had known for a long time that life wasn't the same for everyone. Ever since that day when her father hadn't come home, Cara had learned that the world was cruel, peopel were cruel and if you were on the wrong side of the deal, then there was nothing you could do.

Still, she remembered a different life. Eating ice cream in the park, going to school, watching cartoons on a rainy day, riding the bike. It felt more like something she had read in a book than like a memory of her own, though, and she tried not to think about it most of the time. That kind of life wasn't for her.  
She wasn't stupid. She knew that life wasn't supposed to be like hers. People were supposed to get paid for their work. Go home, make choices, be free. But knowing didn't change the fact that _she_ could not go home, not go anywhere in fact. It didn't change the fact that _she_ wasn't free. She had accepted that a long, long time ago. If you wanted to survive in her world, you had to do as you were told, you had to try not to disappoint. And so Cara had made her life about exactly that: the effort, the struggle to do good, _be_ good, not disappoint. The only thing that had never been taken from her, that nobody had ever tried to control was her body. It was the only thing she had left and she had always been proud of that. She wasn't like those women from Mistress Claire, she wasn't a whore. She had had a crush once, on a boy from the kitchen at Master Alex' estate. But then she had seen with her own eyes what happened when you chose to _be with someone_. She had served the drinks and food at one of Mistress Claire's parties and she had seen what those men had done to the girls. She had seen the look in their eyes, broken and empty. That night, in her chamber, she had vowed never to be like them, empty and soulless. And now... Now she had been sold to be exactly like them. And there was nothing she could do about it. Because the world was cruel, people were cruel and she was on the wrong side of every deal that had ever been made.  
Cara had trusted Master Alex. He had been nothing but good to her, he had even hired a private teacher for her. _Of course, sweety_ , he had said one day, _how stupid of me. You work so hard, you didn't have time to study, of course! Let me fix that for you, darling_. He had hired someone to teach her and she had spent all of her free time to study. Which wasn't much, which is why she ended up doing it at night more often than not. After a year, Master Alex had decided that it distracted her too much from her work and had put an end to it. But she had been greatful nonetheless, working even harder to please him. He had allowed her to keep a few books, too. Biology, history, literature, maths. She barely had had time to read them, but she had still thought it an exeptionally generous gesture. She had had to leave them behind when she had left, but still. He had been nothing but good to her.  
That's why it hurt even more. Him signing a deal like that, selling her to Master Ashton for... sexual intercourse. _No use denying it_ , she told herself bitterly, feeling the panic in her chest rise more with every breath she took.  
Master Alex cleared his throat and she realized that she must have been ignoring him, not paying attention to anything but her own thoughts. Her hands started to shake again and she tried to calm them, to silence her thoughts. She felt tears well up in her eyes and it took all her willpower not to start sobbing uncontrollably. She raised her head, but just couldn't bring herself to look at him so she fixed her eyes on a point somewhere behind him instead. She pushed all her fears, her shock and desperation down, away, out of her head. _Don't think about it_ , she told herself, _don't disappoint_. Don't disappoint, don't disappoint, don't disappoint. She repeated the words in her head like a mantra. Tears don't change anything, you have no choice, don't disappoint.  
"Yes, Master Ashton?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luke's an idiot. Ashton too.

Ashton silently cursed himself. Why had he given her that damned folder?  
"Are you okay, Cara?" he asked and immediately felt stupid. _Of course she's not okay you idiot!_ he silently scolded himself again.  
"Yes, Master Ashton, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" she answered, but her voice sounded robotical, as if she had to force herself to get the words out. "Do you understand what you just read?" Ashton asked.   
"Yes. I do" was her prompt answer.   
"You do?" he was surprised. Didn't she have any questions? She looked so... disturbed. "You're not...surprised? Don't you have questions for me?"   
It took her a moment to answer this time. When she spoke, he saw the tears in the corner of her eyes building up again. "No, Master Ashton. Should I have any questions? What do you want me to ask?" she offered almost mechanically.   
"Nothing, I just ... Cara, are you sure you're okay? This must have come as a shock to you, no?" He tried to make his voice as soft and encouraging as he could. "I just wanted you to know the truth, but I realize now that it was unfair to dump it on you like this. I'm sorry for that, Cara, I really am." And it was true, he _really_ was sorry.  
"The truth, Master Ashton?" she said, furrowing her brows. When he didn't respond right away, she added: "Thank you for telling me, Master Ashton. You didn't have to do that and I am..." Her voice trailed off and she swallowed hard before she repeated, "Thank you for telling me."   
Ashton looked at her. She hadn't moved since she had finished reading. Her eyes were fixed on a point on the wall behind him, her fingers digging into her palms and when she wasn't speaking her jaw tensed up as if she was biting down hard on something invisible. The closed folder was still placed in her lap and he reached out to take it from her. When his hand almost brushed hers, she held her breath and closed her eyes, clearly afraid. He was surprised at first, but then again what did he expect? He was sure that she partly realized the position she was in. After all, she hadn't been born into this and she had worked alongside people who had normal jobs, lived normal lifes. At some point she had surely made the necessary connections. Nevertheless, he was sure that she couldn't have been aware of the ... extent of her situation. That she could be sold, like a thing, a commodity. Most women in her situation entered the sex business at a very young age and more often than not they were abused by their masters before that. That she had been spared such a fate was mostly thanks to her former master, Alexander. However much he despised the man, he had protected the girl. In his own twisted way, yes, but protected nonetheless. And then it hit him.   
 _Of course_ , he thought, _she must think that **that** is what I want from her!_ Wasn't there something mentioned in the documents as well? He opened the folder and hurriedly scanned the pages. _There. Use of the goods for sexual intercourse_. How could he have been so stupid? He should never have given her that stupid contract!  
"Cara, I'm not..." he began, but was interrupted by Luke storming into the office unannounced.   
"Ash, you've gotta take a look at this, Jackson just sent it to me and it sounds like-" he stopped when he noticed Cara. "Oh, I didn't know you had company."  
"Well, you could have knocked." Ashton responded, his voice like ice. Luke didn't seem to notice. "Yeah, whatever man. This is important, so maybe you could postpone your little...." He waved at the tray with the long forgotten breakfast. "Whatever this is."   
Ashton wanted to strangle him. But before he could say something, before he could do anything, Cara had stood and left the room, mumbling an excuse before she closed the door behind her. "Good!" Luke exclaimed. "So, now that we're alone, you really need to deal with this quickly, I brought you a copy." And with that, he handed Ashton some printouts and threw himself in the seat where Cara had been sitting before, starting to get Ashton up to speed with the current events. 

Cara ran. She barely noticed the tears that began to stream down her cheeks. She couldn't feel, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. She just needed to get out, away from this place, this house, this whole life. But she had nowhere to go. She couldn't escape. So she just ran to her room as fast as she could, breathlessly leaning her back against the door after she had slammed it shut. She couldn't think straight, she felt like her whole body was going numb. Her stomach was convulsing aggressively and she stumbled into the bathroom, dry heaving into the toilet a few times. She just sat there afterwards, on the cold bathroom floor, tears falling down into her lap. She watched them stain the fabric of her skirt a darker shade of blue, listening to the blood rushing to her head. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes like hours. After what seemed like an eternity, the tears on her skirt had dried an she could cry no more. She forced herself to stand up. She undressed, letting her clothes fall to ground. She didn't care anymore. She would lose the only thing she had ever had to herself, the only thing that grounded her, that had kept her sane all those years. Her mother had always told her to be careful, not let anyone touch her, had taught her that her body was valuable and that she had to protect it always. And after that terrible party, when she had seen those girls... It had become even more important to her, it had become everything. Distinguishing herself from those whores had become her goal. She would be better than them. _Don't disappoint and you don't have to be like them_ , Master Alex had told her when he had found her throwing up that night. Don't disappoint. He had protected her and now... Now he had sold her to be a whore just like them.  
She stepped into the shower and turned on the water. It was ice cold. She barely noticed. She closed her eyes and let it wash over her. It ran down her head and she opened her braid, letting her hair fall free. The water ran down her back, along her legs, pooling at her feet. It poured over her, washing away all coherent thought until her mind was blissfully blank. She turned her face up and felt the cold press down on her eyelids, her lips, her cheeks. She wanted to stay like this forever, never feeling anything again. 

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

Ashton practically flew down the stairs, along the corridors, towards the kitchen. He had managed to get rid of Luke after about half an hour. The news he had brought really had been important and he was glad that they could react in time to prevent a desaster, so he had refrained from his first intention of strangling his best friend. After he had given Luke instructions on what to do, he had excused himself and left in search of Cara. Which was stupid, because it was his office, he didn't need to excuse himself.  But he really needed to talk to the girl, needed to make sure she was alright. _Goddamn, why do I care so much?_ he asked himself while he stormed into the kitchen. Maria let out a little scream when he slammed the door open.   
"Jesus!" she yelped, clutching a hand to her chest. "What is going on?"  
"Where is she?" Ashton asked, catching his breath. "Who?" Maria answered, confused. "Cara!" Ashton practically barked at her.   
"I don't know sir, I thought she was with you?" the old woman said and then added, "Maybe she went to her room?" Ashton didn't respond, he just turned on his heels and stormed out again. He had to explain to her, that she didn't need to be afraid, that he didn't plan to ... Well, he didn't plan to do anything with her, really. He had no idea what to do with her, but whatever it was, it wasn't going to be anything sexual, that much he was absolutely sure of. He knew he wasn't a saint and he didn't exactly earn his money the legal way, but still. He wasn't a bad man, at least not like that. He arrived at her room and took a moment to catch his breath before he knocked. When she didn't answer he knocked again. "Cara?" Still no answer. "Cara it's Ashton." He felt stupid talking to a door so he knocked again and when there was still no answer he carefully opened it.  
The room was empty, but he heard the shower running in the bathroom. He decided to wait for her and sat down at the desk at the end of the room. He wanted to have this resolved as quickly as possible. He was already way too occupied with her as it was, he had more important things to do. He would talk to her and explain everything and then he would ask Elizabeth to find something to do for the girl. She was always complaining that she needed more help in the house anyways. He stared out the window, already much calmer than he had been a few moments ago. He should never have gotten so worked up about it in the first place, he told himself. What was wrong with him? He had never cared about a servant that much. He paid his employees good money and the ones who lived on the grounds enjoyed quite a few luxuries, too. But he left them alone most of the time. He was a workaholic, always on the job, he didn't have time to cozy up to his staff. He stood up again, strolling towards one of the windows. The sun was already high up and he took a look at his watch. Almost eleven. How long did that girl shower? he wondered, walking towards the bathroom door. He noticed that the shower was still running evenly, but nothing else could be heard. He suddenly felt stupid, waiting for her like that. He would just call for her in the evening, he could clear everything up then. _Give the girl some time to herself,_ he thought _, it's the least you can doing after dropping a bomb on her like that_. He was about to leave, when he saw that the bathroom door stood slightly ajar. He caught a glimpse of the shower and... There was no one standing under it. That was odd, why wasn't she there? Maybe she just forgot to turn it off? But who forgot to turn off a shower, really? He carefully pushed the door open a few more inches.  
At the bottom of the shower, cowering in a corner, with her knees drawn up under her chin and her arms wrapped around her legs, was Cara. Her eyes were blank, staring into nothingness and she was shivering, her lips an unhealthy shade of blue.   
He pushed the door open and was inside the room with one step. She didn't move, didn't even blink. "Cara?" he said a little panicked, but she didn't react. He ran a hand through his hair, unsure what to do. Why were her lips so blue? he suddenly wondered and took a closer look at the shower. It was turned to 'cold'. Without thinking he reached inside and turned it off, shuddering when the ice cold water hit his hands and arms. How long had she been sitting here and why? Was she trying to freeze herself to death?! He rolled up the wet sleeves of his shirt and crouched down in front of her. "Cara? Can you hear me?" he asked tentatively, but she didn't show any reaction, not even when he  reached out to her, trying to pull her out of the shower. She just kept clutching her own legs, shivering and staring into nowhere. Her skin was cold as ice and for a second he thought she might be dead. _I need to get her warm_ , he thought. "I'm going to get you a blanket" he told her. A quick look around the bathroom didn't reveal any towels, just her clothes lying on the floor. He got up and went back into her room. There had to be some towels here somewhere! He walked to the closet and opened it. He didn't find what he was looking for but took out the bathrobe instead. Back in the shower he draped the fluffy garment around the girl's shoulders, gently prying her arms off of her legs. He knew he had to get her out of there and into bed to warm her up quickly and she didn't look like she would start walking on her own any time soon, so he simply scooped her up into his arms and carried her.  
When he put her down, the bathrobe fell from her shoulders and he found himself staring at her naked form. Her breasts round and perfect, drops of water travelling down her flawless skin. Her legs were long and slender and... He swore at himself silently. _What the fuck is wrong with you Ashton Clayworth,_ he told himself _, staring at a helpless girl like a goddamn pervert!_  He quickly wrapped her up in the bathrobe again and tucked her in under the thick blanket of the bed. She curled herself up in the fetal position, still shivering. Her hair was quickly soaking the pillow with cold water. _She'll catch pneumonia if she sleeps like that_ , he thought. He looked through the closet again, but didn't find any towels so he just grabbed a sweater and carefully rubbed her hair with it until it was no loanger soaking. When he touched the skin at her neck he found that she was still cold as ice. He needed to get her warm. Throwing the wet pillow and sweater to the ground he placed her head on the matress and hurried out of the room. 


	11. Chapter 11

Cara wasn't sure where she was, but she knew that she wanted to be somewhere else. It was so, so cold here. It felt like she could never be warm again. Did she run out into the snow? No, that couldn't be right, it was only the beginning of october and snow normally didn't fall until mid november. She wanted to move, find some place warm but she couldn't remember how to move her arms and legs. Was someone calling her? It was so far away... Something changed, then, but she wasn't sure what it was. Her arms were moved and then she was ... flying? And everything was so soft and comfortable.... She wanted to curl up into a ball and sleep until she was warm again. So she did. 

Ashton sat down on the bed next to Cara, checking the hot-water bottles again. He had told Elizabeth to get him as many as she could and when the woman had asked why, he had told her to mind her own business. She had come back with 6 hotties not long after that, eyeing him suspiciously. He had taken them from her and walked out of the kitchen, informing her that he had to work and didn't want to be disturbed. Instead of going into his office though, he had hurried back to Cara's room, lining up the hot-water bottles along her body under the blanket. She was deep asleep and he had considered just leaving her like that, but quickly decided against it. Instead he had fetched his laptop and the documents he was working on from his office and set everything up on the desk in her room. She had been sleeping for four hours straight before she had stirred in her sleep for the first time and he had taken it as a good sign, relaxing for the first time since he had found her in the shower. But it was almost evening now and he was getting hungry. Checking her temperature again he silently left the room, heading to the kitchen. 

Elizabeth was there when he entered the room, drinking tea and chatting with Maria. She eyed him curiously but didn't say anything. "Master Ashton," Maria greeted him, "what can I do for you? You skipped lunch, should I prepare something for you now?" He nodded. "Yes, that would be most welcome Maria." The older woman put down her mug of tea and went to work. "Should I call the new girl to set up the dinner table?" she asked him while she started heating up a pan. "No, that..." he began, unsure what to say. "I won't be eating in the dining room tonight." Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at that. He rarely ate in his office or his own room and when he did, he was either sick or had a meeting. Not that both of it happened too often. "In your office, then?" she asked him. "Uhm... No just...bring it up to the main guest room" he said, feeling uneasy. Both women looked at him in shocked surprise. "But..." the older woman began. "That's Cara's room!" Elizabeth finished for her.   
"Master Ashton...!" Maria looked scandlized. "I know that" he snapped at her and when Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something, he shot her a warning look. "Don't jump to conclusions!" He stormed out of the kitchen before they could say anything else.   
 _Stupid women_! he thought on his way back to Cara's room. They probably thought he had ... well, fucked her. Anger welled up in his chest. He knew he shouldn't care and normally he wouldn't. But he didn't want anyone to think that he had taken advantage of the girl. He knew that most men probably would have, but he wasn't most men. He was Ashton Clayworth and he didn't do things like that! Y _ou just buy young girls for insane amounts of money, like that's any better,_ he thought darkly. Back in her room he checked Cara's temperature and was relieved that she had reached a healthy warmth again. He sat down at the desk, trying to get some more work done, but he couldn't keep his mind on the task. He sighed and shut his laptop after reading the same paragraph for the third time in a row. Leaning back in the office chair he closed his eyes. He needed to get his shit together. He hadn't gotten to his position by losing his mind over some stupid girl! He shouldn't even care! He had bought her in a momentary act of kindness, had given her a nice place to live and some pretty clothes. She could help Maria and Elizabeth or sit around in her room all day for all he cared. It wasn't his problem any more. As long as she didn't get in the way, he didn't care. Except that he did. And it confused him more than he would admit to himself. Ashton Clayworth, don't you dare getting soft! He had a business to run, he couldn't afford distractions like this.   
Turning 30 next month he had build himself a reputation and a small empire despite his young age. His family had always been well off financially, controlling the major part of the spice trade in Africa and India for almost a century now. His parents had died young, leaving him to run the family business at only 22. Having been prepared to take over from his father his entire life, Ashton had expanded into North America, successfully fighting off several attempts at hostile take overs from former trade partners. It was then that he had first been approached by less... official business partners. His father and grandfather had always kept the business strictly legal, but Ashton wasn't as opposed to some illegal money on the side as they had been. The side business had quickly taken over, though. Ashton had discovered that trading spice was an excellent front for the transportation of illegal goods and now, eight years later, Clayworth Trade was the number one transport business for everyone who needed something moved without a legal trail. Because he moved goods for everyone who could pay enough, no matter their allegiances, Ashton had become 'neutral grounds'. Enemy drug lords got drunk together at his parties and warring mafia bosses exchanged family pictures over a good glass of wine when Ashton invited them. He didn't care what those people did, didn't care that they were murderers, drug dealers, money launderers. In his house, a good glass of wine or whiskey in hand, they were all just men, doing their jobs. There was only one thing Ashton had never meddled with and that was human trafficking. He had never given in to any offer, no matter how high, to transport human beings. It just didn't feel right to him. Which is why he still didn't know what had gotten into him, buying a girl like Cara.   
 


	12. Chapter 12

There was at knock on the door, pulling Ashton from his thoughts. He glanced at Cara, who was still sound asleep and stood up to open the door.   
"Your dinner..." Elizabeth said without looking at him, peering over his shoulder instead.   
"Thank you" he responded icily, taking the tray from her hands. Elizabeth made a move to follow him into the room, but he stopped her. "That will be all, Elizabeth" he snarled, shutting the door in her face. _Nosy bitch_ , he thought when he heard her stomping off. He cleared the desk and put down the food. Maria had prepared his favourite dish: steak, with beans and mashed potatoes on the side. He also found roasted garlic bread, a large piece of chocolate cake and a small bowl of fresh fruit on the tray. He made a mental note to give her a raise when he took a first bite from the meat. It was perfect.  
Ashton was halfway through his dinner when Cara started to stir. She mumbled something incoherent, still half asleep and then rubbed her eyes, opening them slowly. It took her a moment to recognize her surroundings and she didn't seem to notice him when she sat up, clearly confused how she got there. He suddenly felt very inappropriate just being there and cleared his throat nervously. She almost jumped at the sound, snapping her head in his direction and letting out a small, surprised cry when she saw him. She stared at him with huge eyes, fear written all over her face.   
"I... uh..." he ran a hand over his face. "You were in the shower" he said, sounding like an idiot. She just continued to stare at him, moving her lips as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out.   
He cleared his throat again. "You... I just wanted to, uh, check on you and you were in the shower so I, uh..." He got up, grabbing his laptop. "I'll just let you have some privacy" he said, trying not to look at her. He was about to open the door when her barely audible voice travelled to his ears.   
"You don't have to leave" she whispered and then added, a bit louder, "I won't disappoint."   
"You're...I'll give you some privacy" he said without turning around.  
"No" was her firm answer. He turned around to look a her. She was still turned towards the chair where he had been sitting a moment ago. Her hands were clutching the blanket to her bare chest in an attempt to cover herself up. He hesitated. Should he just leave? It was probably the only sane thing to do right now, but... she looked so confused and fragile, he couldn't leave her alone like that.   
"You were freezing to death in that shower" he stated matter of factly. She turned to look at him and he saw tears running down her cheeks silently. "So why didn't you let me?" she asked.  
"Wha- you- Why would I do that?" He said, more than shocked. "Were you trying to kill yourself?!" he almost shouted at her now, suddenly angry. He didn't have time for this, didn't have time to babysit some broken servant girl. He was about to tell her exactly that when she suddenly snapped.  
"No, I wasn't! I just wanted to feel something on my own before you take that away too! So just do it already, get it over with!" She was screaming at him now, yanking away the blanket that she had used to cover herself. "Here, do it! Just do it, please, I can't... can't..." She was sobbing uncontrollably, her face red with shame and anger and desperation.   
"Do **WHAT**?!" he barked, although he knew exactly what she meant. He had come here to apologize, to make things right. Instead he had been faced with the aftermath of some mental breakdown she was clearly having and now she was basically excusing him of being a perverted asshole who took advantage of helpless women! Ashton was furious. Who did she think she was?? He didn't pay 10 million bucks from his private funds to be accused of being a fucking rapist! That's not what she said, a small voice in his head remarked. He told the voice to shut up.   
"You..." he said, slowly walking towards her, his voice almost a growl. "You come here-"  
"You bought me!" she interrupted.  
"I am talking to you and you will **fucking** **shut** **up** and listen!" He exploded. His voice shaken by anger, one hand balled into a fist, the other pointing at her as if he could shoot her with it. "You _come_ here, into _my_ house and I give you clothes, food, a place to live. I even _defend_ you in front of my friend! I tell you the truth, I take care of you when you have a _goddamn_ mental breakdown and _then_ -" he raised his finger in front of her face, "then, after all this, you have the **audacity** to accuse me of-"  
" **I** have the audacity? _Me_? I didn't ask for any of this, I never wanted to be here! I don't need any of of this! You think you're so generous but you're not! You have done **nothing** for me!!" She was hysterical, spitting out the words in disgust and anger.  
"I have saved you from that ... that pervert Ale-" Ashton began, but she interrupted him again.  
"Alexander has been _nothing_ but good to me!" she screeched.  
"So why didn't he keep you then??" He thundered. And that shut her up. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but ultimately gave up. They were silent like that for a moment, both breathing heavily, letting their anger ebb away.   
"He's not a good man" Ashton finally said, breaking the silence. "He was to me" she responded, wiping away her tears.   
Ashton sat down on the edge of the bed, with his back to her. He leaned forward, supporting himself with his elbows on his knees. "You're lucky he didn't rape you, you know?" he said with a sigh.  
She didn't react at first, but then he heard her sobbing again behind him. She was much calmer now though, crying almost silently. Burying his face in his hands he thought about what he should do. He remembered why he had come here in the first place. "I would never do that to you. That's why I came here, I wanted you to know that" he told her.   
"I don't understand why I'm here." Her voice was soft and small. He shrugged. "To be honest, I don't understand it either" he confessed.   
"So... what should I do?" she asked carefully. "I need something to do ..."  
He sighed and turned around to look at her. Her eyes were red from crying and she faced him with an expression of helplessness in them that made him want to wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything would be okay. She was only covered from the waist down and he carefully leaned over to her, wrapping the blanket back around her. When he was done his hand rested on her shoulder and she leaned into his touch.


	13. Chapter 13

Cara didn't know what had gotten into her. Screaming at him like that, saying those things... But it had felt good, so good and now she was... calm. Peaceful almost. Her thoughts weren't racing anymore, driving her crazy inside her own mind. It was like she had reached a limit, like filling a barrel with water. It splashed around when it hit the empty bottom of the vessel, but when it was full and you continued to pour into it, the water just ran over the edges and down the sides evenly. Cara's mind felt like that barrel, there was no room to splash anymore and everything flowed about peacefully in her head.  
When Ashton rested his hand on her shoulder, his arm almost touched her cheek and she could feel the warmth of his skin on her face. Closing her eyes for a second she leaned her head against his arm, expecting him to withdraw. But he didn't. Instead he lifted his other hand and stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. His touch was warm and gentle and she wanted to crawl into his arms and get lost in that warmth. As if he had read her mind he pulled her closer, resting her head against his chest awkwardly. She inhaled his scent. He smelled of aftershave and sweat and that hint of something she couldn't decipher, just like he had the night before and she felt his chest rise with every breath. He started stroking her hair, smoothing out the curls that always formed at the end.  
It felt surreal. A moment ago they had screamed at each other from the top of their lungs and now they were almost cuddling.  
Her stomach growled and he let go of her. "I'll get you something to eat," he said and was gone before she had time to respond.  
She just sat there for a moment, inhaling his scent still lingering in the air before her. You're naked, a voice in her head told her and she was suddenly embarrassed. Wrapping the sheets tightly around her naked body she climbed out of bed. Everything felt like a dream. Good or bad, she didn't know. She found a t-shirt and sweatpants in the closet and put them on. It was getting dark outside, the last rays of sunshine filling her room with a golden glow. She took the blanket with her and sat down by the window, watching the sun going down.  
Ashton didn't knock when he entered her room again a few minutes later. He had a small plate with sandwiches, which he put between them when he sat down next to her. Cara didn't know what to say and unbeknownst to her, Ashton didn't either. So they just sat there and she ate in silence.  
"Thank you", she said shyly after she had finished.  
"You needed to eat", Ashton said.  
"I meant for everything", Cara replied. "I could have it much worse, so thank you. And sorry for... all the trouble. It won't happen again."  
Ashton sighed. "It's okay." He got up and headed for the door, leaving her without another word.

Cara knocked. Hearing his "Yes, come in" she entered Ashton's office and put down the coffee she was carrying. "Thank you, Cara..." He said without looking up, brows furrowed and head bowed over the papers scattered before him. She smiled at him even though he couldn't see it and left the room as quietly as she had come.  
It had been a week since their fight and she had decided that she would simply do her best to be useful. He had told her that he didn't intend to use her for sex and even though she had decided that his words had been serious, she didn't believe that he wouldn't change his mind if she became a nuisance. So, for a week now, she had given her best to be useful, helpful, good. She helped cleaning and preparing the meals, served him his drinks and dinner, kept the fires running that he seemed to love so much and generally tried to be on her best behaviour. It kept her thoughts away from dark places too, so she almost felt normal again. They hadn't really talked again since the fight and she thought that was a good sign, a sign that he was satisfied with her work. Or maybe he was just busy and overworked. She had noticed how he grabbed his neck and rolled his shoulders, looking tense and never really relaxed. Most of the times he barely looked up from his work when she came to bring him his coffee or whatever else he had send for.  
This night didn't seem to be much different, except that he was staring into the fire and not down onto his work. She saw that it had burned down quite a bit and put a fresh log into the flames. "Anything else I can do for you, Master Ashton?" she adressed him after she had finished with the fire. He kneaded his neck with one hand, closes his eyes and leaned his head back. "Not unless you can make this headache magically disappear..." he said jokingly.  
"I could... give you a massage..." she offered and he furrowed his brows at her questioningly. "Master Alex had me do it quite often. I believe I am quite skilled at it." She explained. He seemed to consider it, but when he didn't answer and just looked at her undecided, she simply walked over to him and gently placed her fingertips on the back of his neck. When he didn't object, she started slowly massaging his tense muscles, working her way from his neck down to his broad shoulders. He kept still, but started to visibly relax after a few minutes. When she couldn't find any more knots of tense muscles she just kept on working her fingers up and down his neck and shoulders until he told her to stop.  
"Ahh, that's... Thank you, Cara, that really did help."  
"I'm happy to help, Master Ashton." Cara said.  
"I'm sure you are..." he murmured and she silently left, closing the door behind her without a sound.


End file.
